Professional midwifery advocate

A new model of midwifery supervision came into effect in April 2017.

The A-EQUIP (Advocating for Education and Quality Improvement) model works for women and midwives by:

Supporting midwives to advocate for women
Providing direct support for women and midwives using a restorative approach
Undertaking quality improvement in collaboration with women/midwives (NHS England 2017)

Professional Midwifery Advocates (PMA), are experienced practising midwives who have undergone extra training to support and guide midwives to deliver good quality and safe care developed nationally and delivered locally.

The aim of Professional Midwifery Advocates (PMA) is to support midwives in their clinical practice and advocate for women. Michelle Matchett and Terri Oliver are currently trained in this role at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust. They provide restorative clinical supervision; advocacy and support quality improvement activities, education and leadership for midwives.

How can professional midwifery advocates help you?

Midwives will support you throughout your maternity care. If you have any concerns about your care, you and/or your midwife may contact a Professional Midwifery Advocate.

You can arrange to speak to a PMA for a wide range of issues relating to your experience of pregnancy or birth. This may include reflecting on a recent pregnancy or wanting to talk through a previous experience because you are pregnant or planning to be pregnant again.

They can help by:

listening and advocating on concerns you may have about your current midwifery care;
talking to your midwife/obstetrician on your behalf if you are concerned about your plan of care;
supporting and advising on care choices, eg. place of birth;
We can support your midwife to discuss the most appropriate choices for you and your baby.
Midwives may want to contact us for professional advice and guidance or to reflect on their practice or experiences.
The PMAs are also involved in a team that discuss Birth Preference plans with women, particularly those that wish to have a birth experience outside the Trust guidelines.